The political, economic and security situation in the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is deteriorating, and it can even be said that the economic crisis has reached its peak. Meanwhile, Baghdad accuses the KRG of failing to meet its oil obligations, cutting its budget, and even a Kurdish member of the Iraqi parliament called on the central government to counter the KRG’s export of oil to use the army and security forces.
On the other hand, employees’ salaries are paid with a delay of several months. In late May, the January salary was paid manually, while in the situation of the Coronavirus spread, the doctors do not recommend to touch the money. Also, the Kurdistan Patriotic Union (PUK), with its new and young presidency, is not only not ready to cooperate with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), but also publicly opposes it, and even threatens to make Sulaymaniyah and Halabja an independent Regional Government. The governor of Duhok, affiliated to the KDP, accused, Lahor Jangi, the new head of PUK of encouraging teachers to protest against the KDP. The KDP and the PUK also face a common threat: the PKK and Turkey. The PKK’s presence in the KRG has caused Turkey to bomb various areas in recent years, especially the villages near the PKK’s hideout. More than 1,000 villages have been evacuated and agriculture and livestock have been destroyed. Kurdistan Regional Government officials has repeatedly said that the PKK is a threat to the KRG.
The Iranian Kurdistan Human Rights Watch (IKHRW) has spoken to Zagros Berwari, a pro-KDP political expert on the latest situation in the KRG.
“I have to say that the PUK has gone beyond the Kurdish line and lost its independence,” said Zagros Berwari. The PUK has no Kurdish goals nor plans and does not care about the people. This one thing is clear to the Kurds.”
The Kurdish political expert pointed to the insecurity created by the PKK and Zine Werte, saying: “The PKK must know that this is not the PKK’s war front. What does the PKK do in the KRG if it fights Turkey? Why is it here? If it dares, it must go into the territory of Turkey and fight there. “
“We know war and violence are not the right answer to the Kurdish issue. If the PKK really wants to solve the Kurdish problem, it must resort to political and peaceful solutions instead of war and violence, especially in Turkey. What the PKK is doing is making its real purpose public. It intends to rule over all Kurds, while at the same time it is a threat to the Kurds. ”
“The PKK’s behavior, as it has shown in the past, makes it possible for a war between the Kurds to break out at any moment,” said Zagros Berwari. The PKK intends to put all the Kurds under its control, but that is not in the Kurdish agenda, and the only thing we want is the PKK to leave here and not be a threat to us any more. ”
“For the past 28 years, the PKK has been trying to blame the Iraqi Kurds for all the problems, especially the KDP, and this by lying and deceiving, especially in its media, while it itself is the cause of many problems,” he said. It deliberately paves the way for Turkey to intervene and attack the KRG.”
